Control of adjustable screw propellers



April 21, 1942. O.- MADER 2,280,654

` CONTROL' oF ADJUSTABLE scREw PROPELLERS n Filed Jun 14, 1958 v 4 sheets-sheet 1 O 2,2so;654

vApxrl`2l, 1942. o. MADER CONTROL OF ADJUSTBLE SCREW PROPELLERS Filed June 14, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 21, 1942. o. MADER 7 2,280,654.

CONTROL OF ADJUSTABLE SCREW PROPELLERS Filed June 14, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I f F2294 707 721 y? me lan Mmmm /n vento/v April 21, 1942. o. MADER CONTROL oF ADJUSTABLE scREw'PRoPELLERs Filed June 14, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v Patented Apr.A 2l, 1942 UNITED' y STATE* j CONTROL or ADJUSTABLE SCREW -rRoPELLEns i' f Otto MadeaDessau-ZiebigkfGermany assignorf we to Junkers Flu'gzeug-und-Motorenwerke Ake tiengesellschaft,` Dessau, Germany .Application June 14, 193s, serial No. 213,586"

In Germany June 23, 1937 `5 claims. (Cif 2441-83) This invention relates to the propulsion of vehicles and more especially aircraft. It has particular 'reference to means whereby two or more controllable screw propellers, which are positively connected with each other and the blades of which can be constantly adjusted, are driven by a common source of power.

In screw propellers' with constantly .variable pitch it is known to adjust the blades by means of an automatically 'acting mechanism in delpedence upon some operating value such as for example the 'speed'of' the. propeller. In screw propellers of this kind a control member'responsive to variations of this value is provided to operate the desired adjustment of the blades, if desired, by means of a power switch serving to throw in an auxiliary force. This control member may constitute Ya centrifugal governor which adjusts lthe propeller blades so that in the case of variations of the speed or the density of the medium in which the propeller operates, or of the turning moment exerted by the driving engine, the propeller always rotates at substantially constant speed. These devices operate satisfactorily as long as only a single screw propeller is coupled with a driving engine.' If however an engine drives a plurality of positively connected propellers and if each propeller is provided with a separate automatically active adjusting device for the blades, a correct functioning of these devices could not be relied upon. In such case one propeller might be adthe blades of` eachpropellerfare adjustedtlirough an exactly predetermined angle.

' To this end -a system of adjusting rods acting on the blades of" each propeller may-Ulead to an adjustinglievic'ze Acommon to all the''propellers. This .adjusting device preferably consists of a control member, `responsive to variationsfioflan operating value, and 'of a *power switchinuenced by this control member to throw in an auxiliary force .-serving to operate the blade adjustment. v y

Since such power transmissions inserted-between the blades of the individual propellers and being neither hampered by lost motion nor byl justed to a higher pitch than required for certain conditions of operation, while the other propeller might be adjusted to a lower pitch. In that case the propellers would rotate at the desired speed, but they would operate under unfavorable conditions and consequently with low efficiency. If

-pellers from a single control member which responds to variations ofan operating value such as the number of revolutions, and by so effecting the transmission of the variations of this member onto the propeller blades to be adjusted that the adjusting device common to al1 are required to transmit considerable forces over long dis- -tances,v they are comparatively heavy andthe accuracy of transmission of movements might be impaired by the unavoidable considerable changes of form by lost motion and the like. Such'drawbacks of long power transmission can be avoided if the source of power is arranged on each screw propeller supplying the adjusting power, so that the power transmission members are required' to act only over short distances, being thus comparatively light in weight and considerable changes of form. .This arrangement however requires these power sources to be controlled in such manner that in each of the connected propellers anexactly predetermined pitch is provided. To accomplish this each of the sources of power must be provided lwith a control member (power switch) which is adjusted by the common adjusting device and acts in such manner that each adjustment of this control member is correlated a predetermined pitch. Therefor the control is organized either as a return or a'following control. In a return control the adjusting device displacesthe control member of a power switch, so that a driving vmedium ows towards the source of power and there effects the adjustment of a power member. This adjusting movement is transmitted onto the power switch member so that this member is returned' into its initial position. Thus the greater the ldisplacement ofthe power switch member, the longer will be the distance through which the power member is adjusted and-which is required in order to return this member into its initial position. Therefore the magnitude of the adjustment of the powerV switch member and the adjustment of the propeller blades effected by the power member always depend fupon each other in a predetermined manner.

In a following control the supply of driving medium to the source of power is responsive to a control member adjustable in the direction of displacement of the power member in such manner that the power member directly follows each adjustment of the control member, so that the adjustment ofthe control member and the adjustment of the power member which results therefrom, are equal.- Following control systems are also known, in which one member, for example the control member, is arranged for displacement, the other member, for example the power member, for rocking movement and in which Vto, a of one member corresponds a predetermined rocking angle of the other member.

Besides the common automatically active control member there mayalsobe providedan additional adjustmentleithercommon to all or affecting only each control member individually.

-Such an arrangement may serve for vchanging'the blades of the propellers driven by an engine, in the case of failure or intentional stoppage of the engine, into the so-clled full feathering position, in which the blades, while at rest, oier the least resistance to propulsion. 'I'he arrange.

ment also may be used during the landing of an aircraft or during, manoeuvering of a sea plane, for adjusting the propeller blades tol negative pitch, inI order to thus brake the flight of the aircraft or, inthe sea plane, to enable it to move backward.

In a craft provided with a plurality of screw propellers arranged on either side of the longitudinal middle vertical plane through the aircraft the additional adjustment of pitch may also be" made so that in turning the craft 4the pitch of the blades of the different screw propellers is predetermined displacing movement l adjusted to'diiferent angles with the outer pro- I pellers in the turn adjusted to a greater pitch than the inner propellers. An adjusting device acting` in this manner may be coupled with the control surfaces (rudders) controlling the lateral movements of the craft, so that the eiect of .the rudder adjustment is automatically assisted by an oppositely active change 'in the pitch of the blades of the screw propellers.

In the drawings aiilxed to this specification and forming part thereof 4several embodiments of this invention are illustrated diagrammatically by wayof example.

In the drawings Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of. the` means for propelling a flying machine with two screw propellers driven by an engine andarranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal middle vertical plane through the machine.

Fig. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view of the blade adjusting device of a screw propeller, in which the return control source of power (hydraulic motor) and the power switch are bodily connected with the propeller.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of a modified form of the invention 4using a return.control source of power -in which the power switch is mounted at a fixed point outside of the screw f propeller.

, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a blade adjusting device controlled by hydraulic power transmission means, in which the power member and the power switch coact-as a'following control. Y x

Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofthe adjusting gear for two screw propellers arranged on either side of the middle vertical plane through the craft,

,sich of the blades being adjusted in 00mmon and automatically in response to an operating value (number of revolutions) and further adjusted in the opposite sense upon operation of therudder.

Referring to the drawings and first to Fig. 1, the screw propellers I and V2 arranged on op` cog wheel gears I3, I4 and I5, I6. The pitch,of

the blades, which are rotatably supported inthe hubs 2l, 22 canbe varied by turning theblades about their longitudinal-axes. This adjustment of the blades is effected by displacing the rods Il, 'IB which extend into the hollow shafts 3 and 4 and are'either connected with the blades by mechanical power transmission members, or control separate sources of power supplying the re,

quired adjusting force. The outer ends of the rods I1, I8 are connected by means of angle levers I9, and rods23, 24 to the pivots. of the double-armed levers 25, 26. lThe ends' 21, 23 of these vlevers project into slots of a displaceable gate which is connected to, and adjusted by, an automatically active control member 3l, for example a centrifugal'governor, which is connected by a shaft 32 with the engine shaft 6 and, whenever the number of rotations of the engine varies, shifts the gate 3|! in one or the other direction. The opposite ends 33, 34 of the levers 25, 26 are connected to adjusting levers 35, 36,.

which can be manually operated and xed in 'po sition by means of pawl and ratchets 31, 33. If the levers 35, -36 are assumed to be held in their neutral position, the pitch of the blades of both screw propellers I4 and 2 is determined by the position of the element 30, and upon the displacement of this element the pitch of the blades of both propellers is changed to the same extent. By displacing the levers 35, 36 theV pitch of the blades may be changed either foreach propeller individually or for' both propellers simultaneously and in the same or in opposite sense, so that the separate propellers can be particularly adapted to the conditions of operation prevailing at A each individual moment.

In the device illustrated in Fig. 2 the blades 4I, 42 rotatablv supported in the propeller hub 2| are adjusted by means of an hydraulic motor having the form of a gear motor with gears 43, 44, which is arranged in the forward end of the hub 2| and driven'by means of the spur wheel gears 45, 46 and 45.41, and the worms 48 and 49 which are in gear with worm wheels 5I, 52 forming part of the blades 4I and 42, respectively. The auxiliary motor 43, 44'is supplied with driving iiuid by a gear pump 53 which may be drivenloy the propeller engine 5 (Fig. l). This pump is connected by a supply pipe 54 and return pipe 55 with the annular grooves 51 and 58, respectively, of a collar 56 which tightly surrounds the propeller shaft 3. From these annu lar grooves conduits 59, 60 formed in the propeller shaft 3 lead to. the power switch in the form Y of piston valve 6I, from which other conduits 62, 63 lead to auxiliary motor 43, 44. rlhe conduit 60 at the same time forms the bore in which the piston valve 6I is located, which is connected on one side by means of screw thread 65 to a rod 6l which is arranged in the hollow propeller shaft 3 for longitudinal movement, being however secured against rotation by a square 66, and which leads to the adjusting device by being joined to one of rods |1, I8, Fig. 1. At the other end, the piston valve 6| is formed with a square boring 68,. into which extends the axially movrotary part' 4 4 of the auxiliary motor, Aso that rotary movement of the shaft l'l0 is` correlated in a predetermined ratio to' therotary movementy of the gear 4 4 of the auxiliary motor. Thepiston valve 6| contacts the bore' 50 with two annular 'surfaces14 and 15', the 'edgesof which control the conduits 82 and 63, respectively. The annular space 16 extending between: these annular surfaces communicates permanently with the supply conduit 59. In the valve body 6| a conduit11 bypasses surface 14.

' This device operates as follows: 'If' the valve 6| :is shifted, by adjusting the rod 61, through a. predetermined distance from. thejmiddle position shown in the drawingsin which it closes the conduits62, 63, so that the 'a iliary motor 43, 44 is at a standstill; theconduit'sy 62,' and 53 are uncovered, the motor 43,j44 i `s started and adjusts the'propellerblades 4|., 42, the direction of its movement being' predetermined by the direction 4in whichrod 61 is shifted. At the same time the auxiliary motor, by way of the square coupling 58, 69, imparts to the valvebodySl a rotatory movementwhereby'the body is displaced on the screw thread 65 so as to be displaced longitudinally in a sense opposed to that of its first displacement. During this return movement as soon as the valve body has reachedits middle position shown in thedrawings and has closed the conduits 62, 63, the auxiliary motor isstopped and the `-with a hand lever 9|, which is held in position b'y a ratchet 92. With the sleeve collar 88 of the centrifugal governor another lever tcontrolllng asimilar devicais connected and'joined with. anotherfscrew propeller.

.'j kWhen the propeller andl its engine operate at the desired speed, the slide valve 1 Ifoccupies its 'middle' position, in which the oondu'i'ts 63, 64 leading to the auxiliary -motor 4 3, 44 are closed, the auxiliary motor being at rest. Whenever a change of speed-occurs, 'thegovernor 89 ywill shift the slide valve 1 a certain distance, the auxiliary motor'43, 44 will be started and will adjust the propeller blades. This shifts adjustment rod 8| and slide valve 1| is. returned into its initial posiv,tion by the lever. 15'.v Consequently the displacement of the slide valve 1| and'. theadjustment of the propeller blades arepositively'dependent upon each other. Every position of the Vrod 84, which corresponds to rod 23 of Fig. 1, is correlated, to a predetermined adjustment of the propeller blades. f,

In the device shown in Fig. 4 propeller blades 4| and 42, rotatably mounteclinfthe .hubv2|,are adjusted by means of an hydraulic pistonr 95 which is arranged'lin'-bore 95|;of hub 2| for displacement in the direction ofthepropeller shaft axis. The piston movement isv transmitted by a piston rod 91 onto a cross beam 98 yhaving racks propeller blades are vin a different position. The

adjustment imparted to thel blades ispositively correlated to thelength of the return movement and therefore also to the Ylength* .of the displacement imparted to the rod61, .since this latter displacement is equal Vto the return distance.

Thus the position of rod |1 joinedto rod 61 also determines the adjustmentof the propeller blades 4|, 42 and this rod corresponds toy one of the rods |1cr I8 shownin Fig. 1.

In the .devicev illustrated in F'lg.v 3 the broken line I encioses the `parts fixed onthe craft, and

the broken line II the parts connected with the rotating propeller screw. Of, these latter parts the means for transmitting the adjusting movement from the auxiliary motor43, 44 to the propeller blades are omitted since it may be similar to that shown in Fig. 2. The device of Fig. 3 differs from that shown in Fig. 2y mainly by the slide valve 1| controlling the supply and exhaust of wheels 18,` 19, rack 80 and rod 8|, of the auxiliary motor, so that to a certain adjustment of the auxiliary motor also corresponds a predetermined adjustment of the point 16. The pivot'83 of lever 15 is connected by means of rod 84 to the pivot 85 of another double-armed lever 86. One end 81 of this lever is connected with the sleeve collar .the driving medium to and from the auxiliary with space |25 through 88 of a centrifugal governor 89, the other end 98 75 l0 I, |02 xed to its ends. o Eachrackgmeshes with tively. An end of rod |01 is tightly fitted -Within central cavity |06 'of the piston 95, rod |01 being arranged for axial displacement and angular movementrelative to' the piston. .This ro'dextends -through thehollow propeller shaft. 3, its projecting end-beingformed with an eye |08 serving to connect it totheadjusting device. The rod |01v serves forcontrolling `the movement of the piston 95 and also for the supply and exhaust of the uid driving medium. v To this end it is subdivided by a partition |09 into two con'- -duits, an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit ||2, each of which ls'connected by means of a flexible pipe I3 and I4, respectively, to the source of driving medium, for example a pressure pump. lZ l"he outer walls of the conduitsvH I, ||2 have perforations H5', ||6 (on the intake' side) and ||1 (on the exhaust side) in the portion of rod |01 within piston 95, these perforations communicating with annular grooves IIB, 9 and |20, respectively, formed in the rod |01. Said annular grooves coact with conduits |2| and |22, respectively, formed in the piston body and communicating with the cavity |06. The conduits |2| communicate with the space' |25 on one side, the conduits |22 with the space |26 on the other side of the piston 95.

In the middle position of the rod |01 shown in the drawings all conduits are closed and the piston is at rest. Upon rod |01 being shifted in one direction, for example forwards, the intake conduit is connected through the perforation IIB, annular groove ||9 and conduits |22. The conduit ||2 is connected perforation |1, annular groove |20 and conduits |2|. 'The pressure above normal hereby generated in the space |26 now also drives the piston 95 forwards and thereby causes the propeller blades to be adjusted. This adjusting operation continues until the inner ends of the piston conduits are covered again; the piston exactly follows the adjusting movements of the rod |01 (following adjustment). Thisrod |01 thus again corresponds, as far as its action with the space |26y is-concerned, to the' rod IIA or I8 in Fig. 1; any

adjustment of the rod results in an adjustment` of the blades of exactly predetermined magnitude.

Instead of the hydraulic auxiliary force used in the devices illustrated in Figs. 2 to 4, other auxiliary forces (for instance pneumatic, mechanical or electrical forces) may be used to adjust the blades. These forces must be subjected in principle to the same control as the hydraulic force, according to the examples above described.

Fig. 5 illustrates the system of rods serving to adjust the blades for a certain position of propulsion.. This system resembles that shown in Fig. l and similar parts are therefore marked with similar reference numerals. Also the mode of action is substantially the same as in Fig. 1.

The blades of the screw propellers I and 2 are at rstadjustable as in Fig. 1 in responseto a common speed-responsive member, for example a centrifugal governor 3|. The sleeve |30 of .this governor is connected to the system of adjusting rods vnot directly, but by means of an auxiliary source of power |3I, which may have the form of an hydraulic p iston controlled by a following control (similar to that shown in Fig. 4) vin such manner that it exactly follows the displacements Vof a rod |32 connected to the sleeve |30, and the displacements of whichare further transmitted onto the system of rods by means of the piston rod |33. vThe spring |35 of the governor; which -acts counter to the centrifugal force, may be placed under greater o1' less tension by means. of a lever |31, one en'd of which abuts against the displaceable spring'abutment |36, while its other end is connected to a screw spindle |38. In this manner the number of rotations, which shall be kept constant by the governor 3|, may be chosen as desired. Similarly as in Fig. 1 the centrifugal governor acts on the ends 21 and 28 of the double-armed levers 25, 26, the pivots of which are connected to the rods. 23,- 24, respectively. The otherends 33, 34 of the levers are connected by means of rods |4I, |42 to the ends of a double-armed rudder lever |44 pivotally mounted at |45, which is used to adjust the rudder of an aircraft or of a ship. If. the rudder is adjusted by rocking lever |44, levers 25, 26 are imparted to them by the governor 3|, the blades of one propeller being adjusted to a higher, those of the other propeller to a lower pitch. The connection of the system of adjusting rods tothe rudder lever is eiected in such manner that the outer propeller in the turn is imparted an ln' crease, the inner propeller in the turn a reduction of its pitch.

Various changes may be made in the details disclosed in the foregoing specification without departing from the invention or sacricing the` having4 a hollow drive shaft with a' hydraulic pitch adjusting mechanism incorporated therein, a control system for simultaneously vadjusting the pitch of said propellers comprising 'a hydraulic v,alve mounted within each hollow..shaftadjacent the adjusting mechanism for its propeller, indi` vidual rods, one of said rods being joined to each valve, said rods being slidable in the shafts, a control device common to all of said propellers,

and mechanical linkage means joining said de vice to eachof said rods.

2. In an aircraft as in claim 1, said control ldevice being operatively connected to said engine.'

3. In an aircraft having a plurality of propel- 1ers driven by a single engine and eacli propeller having a hollow drive shaft with a hydraulic pitch adjusting mechanism-incorporated therein, a control system for simultaneously adjusting the pitch of said propellers comprising a hydraulic valve mounted within each hollow shaft adjacent the adjusting mechanism for its propeller, individual rods, one of said rods being joined to each valve, said rods being slidable in the shafts, and mechanical linkage means for transmitting control impulses from said engine to each of said rods for operating said mechanisms.

4. In an aircraft as in claim 1, said system including manually operable means for separately and independently actuating said rods.

5. In an aircraft as in claim 1, said system including a control surface actuating mechanism, and means joining said actuating mechanism to said rods for oppositely changing the pitch of the propeller blades located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis ofl the aircraft upon turning of the aircraft in its direction of flight. 

